FEBRUARY 23, 2024 – Make every day count.
As Chief Master Sgt. David A. Flosi departs his position as Command Chief of Air Force Materiel Command to take on the role of Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, he leaves just a few words of advice to the Airmen across AFMC as they work to re-optimize the Department of the Air Force for Great Power Competition.
“Make every day count. Embrace the change; this is a time of consequence, and if everyone in our command can find a way to acknowledge the good in every day and every opportunity, we can successfully move in the right direction to meet the needs of today’s power competition,” Flosi said. “Embrace the changes that will enable our success.”
Flosi will move into his new role just as the Air Force is starting to implement some of the broadest, sweeping changes to the service in nearly 30 years, with initiatives affecting people, combat power, force readiness and capability delivery across the enterprise.
However, Flosi’s no stranger to change, having arrived at AFMC in March 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, serving first as Command Chief at the Air Force Sustainment Center prior moving to the position of AFMC Senior Enlisted Leader in Oct. 2021. He served the command throughout the pandemic and was part of the decisions and changes that emerged as the organization tackled return-to-work and the need to meet mission commitments to warfighters and customers across the enterprise.
“I was sitting in a commander’s conference the day the world changed back in 2020. It was a great opportunity to be part of the discussions and decision-making process. Our leaders made the changes and decisions they needed to make at that time for the enterprise, and later as we emerged from the pandemic, as part of the commitment to our customers,” Flosi said.
Content to work quietly behind the scenes to implement the commander’s vision while advocating and supporting Airmen working across all mission areas, the times when Flosi spoke loudly were during those opportunities he had to explain to others the critical role AFMC plays across the warfighting spectrum.
“I took it as a personal obligation that I needed to be able to go into a room of senior leaders from other commands and articulate what our Total Force Airmen do to contribute to the fight,” he said. “I worked pretty hard to articulate how what we do enables their success. Part of that was learning all the things we do, and it’s a lot. I feel we are in a better place there, and that learning across the force has occurred.”
Flosi’s time at AFMC paralleled a number of new initiatives, including tremendous advances in how the command takes care of its civilian population, from improved on-boarding and sponsorship, to supervisor training, resiliency initiatives and family care. As the largest employer of civilians in the Air Force, he sees opportunity for AFMC pilot programs to spread across the service.
“We are ahead of the Air Force in some areas, particularly with our civilian communities in terms of onboarding, supervisor development and more. We’ve become a new standard that the Air Force is chasing, and we’re proud to lead that change for the enterprise. Taking care of people is a priority, and we’ve learned a lot as we’ve implemented new programs and processes,” Flosi said.
During Flosi’s time at AFMC, the command took on a new role as Servicing Major Command for the U.S. Space Force, a unique construct that expanded its scope of responsibility and one in which he is proud to have helped champion as the command ensures Airmen serving in the USSF have the support they need.
“We have more than 8,500 Total Force Airmen supporting space, adding to the very complicated and technical support we do across the command,” Flosi said. “I could not be more thankful to have had the opportunity to support and serve with all of them.”
Flosi also served as AFMC leaned forward with the release of its 2023 Strategic Plan, in which the changes implemented have set the command up for success as it navigates the service-wide re-optimization ahead.
“Our strat plan is solid. The changes that are coming to our command are aligned to the direction we are already going. We are in a really good spot, and that’s great for the Air Force,” he said.
As Flosi departs for his new role with his family by his side — the sixteenth change in a long, exciting career, he looks fondly back at this time at AFMC and the relationships built over the past few years.
“Our journey brought us to AFMC with eyes wide open … never did we expect the sense of family this team brings to work with them each day,” he said.
He also offers some parting words of advice to the team as he bids farewell for new horizons.
“You only get one opportunity in this life to serve and to be an Airman. Take advantage of the opportunities you are given, and make every day count. Service to this Air Force and our nation is a worthwhile endeavor, we are the best, most capable flying force in the world, without a doubt.”
By Marisa Alia-Novobilski
Air Force Materiel Command